a journey through individual music preferences

AOTW: Lentic Waters – The Path (2015)

Lentic Waters is a Screamo band from Germany that started out some time in 2010 and have released a few solid records to date. Their most recent work The Path caught my attention in the Fall of 2015 and for good reason – it has everything one would expect from a great Screamo album. There is a lot of feeling present in the music and the vocals, but the general atmosphere is a bit darker than the genre would generally dictate. The production is solid, without sounding plastic and sucking the life out of the music.

The drums set a chaotic rhythm to the music, typical for this genre and the guitar riffs are quite expressive and also very fresh. The guitar sound is at times more metallic than one would typically hear on a Screamo album, somewhat reminiscent of Angstzustand’s Ohne Dich Sind Wir Allein. There are also a few nice Post Rock passages to bring the intensity down a bit, indicating that Envy was probably a point of reference for these guys.

I find that the songs get better as the album progresses. The two opening tracks, while good, do not present anything special and feel a bit reserved, as if the bend doesn’t want to step outside some invisible boundary. Another Sleepless Night of Despair is a spark that really ignites the album, this is where the listener starts feeling an emotional connection with the music.

finally want to grasp the opportunity tired of all the postponing that awful feeling of insecurity another sleepless night of despair

The riff that kicks in around the 35-second mark is probably the best on the entire record. The songs that follow showcase the band’s brilliant musicianship and song writing. This album can be played on repeat many times in a row without getting boring. The neat thing about this release is the songs transition into one another, so there is nice flow to the music if the record is played all at once.

This album is a strong effort from a very talented band. One can only hope these guys will continue in this vein and maintain their high level of creativity.